Description
Required for Full-time MBA:
MBA 4340 Creating Sustainable Enterprise (2 Credits)
All students should be able to demonstrate an understanding of: (1) the concept of sustainability as a decision-making model; (2) the environmental, cultural, social justice, equity, and economic issues inherent in principles of sustainability; (3) the intra- and inter-generational aspects of sustainability; (3) the interconnectedness of individuals, societies, eco-systems, cultures and cultural products in understanding issues of sustainability; and (4) the roles that multiple academic disciplines and perspectives play in identifying, understanding, and addressing issues of sustainability. All students should be able to demonstrate the ability to: (1) apply critical thinking and analysis toward understanding and solving problems related to sustainability; (2) communicate about issues of sustainability across academic disciplines and to non-academics.
Sustainability Electives (optional):
MBA 4446 Advanced Sustainability (4 Credits)
This course provides an overview of current corporate sustainability approaches and the strategies and tools that help them be effective. As businesses and corporations seek to create social and environmental impact along with shareholder value, they are developing strategic approaches to sustainability that can be measured, managed, and reported to investors, employees, and other stakeholders. Getting beyond sustainability basics to create real value and impact can build competitive advantage, attract capital investment, recruit talent and customers, and reduce negative externalities like poor water and air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, and social harm. How can organizations move beyond ?check the box? sustainability to real impact and measurable value? They need to think strategically, integrate sustainable approaches into operations, create reporting structures for good data and accountability, and create a culture around steady sustainability improvement. While corporations may approach sustainability with different moral or economic motivations and rest along a spectrum of intention and commitment, the external landscape is shifting. In the business world, customers, employees, investors, and partner firms are placing more emphasis on transparency to guide their decision-making, and businesses need to communicate their sustainability efforts effectively to diverse stakeholders. In response, both large corporations and smaller ventures are designing strategic approaches for sustainable operations (including sourcing and supply chains), cost-effective measurement, and clear reporting and sharing with their many stakeholders. Students will gain an overview of the theory, practice, and challenges of corporate sustainability today, learn strategies and tools for designing effective approaches, and how corporations are measuring and managing sustainability outcomes to align with ESG and global development goals. The course will deepen students? understanding of corporate sustainability strategy, the strengths and limitations of different frameworks to measuring outcomes, and highlight diverse career paths in sustainability and corporate social responsibility.
INTS 4226 Social Entrepreneurship & Sustainable Development (4 Credits)
This course provides an overview of the role of social entrepreneurs, innovative small firms, and entrepreneurial NGOs in sustainable development and poverty alleviation. Market-driven strategies are increasingly important for all organizations, in government, public, or private sectors, to encourage local solutions that are sustainable and do not require ongoing subsidy. Entrepreneurial NGOs and small firms are a great source of local innovation and adaptation, identifying potential strategies that can be scaled up through partnerships with governments, social purpose organizations, or private capital. These market-driven strategies are based on a good understanding of customers, the value provided, and how to best deliver products and services to vulnerable populations in a responsible way. Further, a strong customer and market focus ensures that all social purpose organizations (both for-profit businesses and NGOs) meet customer needs effectively and develop new products and services efficiently.
School's environmental commitment 1:
The University of Denver recognizes that one of the great challenges of our time is to make the decisions and investments ? of both effort and money ? that will simultaneously advance economic vitality, ecological integrity and social justice. Economic vitality, environmental integrity and social justice are deeply connected in both the short- and the long-term. This triple challenge and deep connection are embodied in the concept of sustainability.
Recognizing sustainability as a core University value, we commit to exercising leadership in our community and throughout society by providing the knowledge, research and curriculum to produce informed graduates who are able to create a positive, just and sustainable future.
We will fully embrace sustainability and address climate change in our operations by reducing greenhouse gas emissions in our approach to managing the built environment, energy, water, dining, purchasing, policies and transportation operations.
By integrating sustainability into the curriculum, research, co-curricular experience and campus operations, we will better serve our students and meet their social mandate to help create a vital, ethical and prosperous civil society.
We believe that our commitment to sustainability requires us to work with community partners in the public and private sector to ensure a thriving local economy, a sustainable urban environment and an equitable human community.
We reaffirm our commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050, as just one part of a holistic approach to becoming a sustainable University.
School's environmental commitment 2:
Students may concentrate in sustainability. Additionally, students may participate in degree related challenges and initiatives/case competitions that include sustainability as a criteria.
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